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I suppose it’s not a secret whatsoever that the ONLY weight I believe you should be “pumping” (if I might use the term) isn’t one found in the gym – or the weight room – but rather the one you were born with – your own bodyweight.

It’s no secret either that you can get the workout of your lives – for your whole life – with nothing but your entire bodyweight alone but there are some who (despite believing this) “want more”.

OK, so how about we tie dumbells to our waists while doing chin-ups, they ask?

Or – drag a tyre up a hill a.k.a Herschel Walker and many other greats?

Or perhaps even tie a stone around your neck while doing Hindu squats to increase resistance as the old time wrestlers did ….

And while all of this is great, there are some that just want “weights”.

And to them I have this one answer – you CAN “lift” and “move” weights – but NOT the way you do in the gym.

If you want far greater benefits, then you lift weights that are a) unwieldy and difficult to grab and b) have to be lifted in ALL planes of motion as opposed to the utterly ridiculous “sit and pump” motion folks go through at the gym.

I’ll give you an example.

I’ve been busy as bee as of late shipping teas – running up and down five flights of stairs with packages in hand – and last night, I was faced with the “task” of lifting a particularly unwieldy and BULKY 30 kg package that felt like it had an elephant stuffed in there – up five flights of stairs – and this AFTER my regular hill workout and pull-ups – and a few long walks too.

Mark my words, it was a battle getting those suckers up narrow staircases, and it was no easy task lugging them along with other packages to the post office -but thats good – and why?

Because lifting heavy objects (WEIGHTS, my friend!) that are hard as heck to grip and grasp make your body work from every angle and direction.

They work the tendons and musculature fully, and done right (especially if you’re lugging stuff up flights of stairs) give you a HECK of a cardio workout to boot!

Case in point being once at the end of semseter when my (then) girlfriend had a “grand daddy” couch to move – and believe me, if you’ve ever gripped one of them suckers by your fingertips and moved it up and down a few flights of stairs – you KNOW how tough it is and what a workout it can give you!

Lifting heavy weights like this – more examples are sandbags – or perhap even beer kegs – are infinitely better for you than the pumping/toning at the gym, my friend.

Not only do they complement a bodyweight workout perfectly – but they give you a heck of a lot more benefit as well – and if you need proof – just look at how wrestlers and construction workers, for one are built.

Solid for the most part. Certainly not artificially “ripped” in most cases – but SOLID as heck – and STRONG – and FIT as well – and how do you think they got that way?

So moral of the story is this – while you sure as heck don’t need weights to get in a great workout – for those that feel they really have to have that option – well – us ethe ones given above – and report back!

I’ll bet it feels a heck of a lot better than sitting on your arse pumping and toning (and preening, of course) and I’ll end on that note!

Blink and you’ll miss it, but in the 0 Excuses Fitness System BOOK – as well as the Videos, I’ve included an example of how to stop “huffing and puffing” almost instantly after extreme exertion – – as well as demonstrated the same “live”.

You know what I mean by huffing and puffing, don’t you?

Say you’re climbing – or sprinting a hill – and it’s all you can do to get your breath back in ragged gasps as you reach the top of the hill …

At that point, the most natural thing to do, and indeed what most people do is to “suck in as much as air” as they can through the mouth and keep going.

Now, there isn’t anything fundamentally wrong with this – except – it isn’t by far the most efficient way to REGAIN your breath quicker – as well as stay calm – and most importantly, it is NOT the ideal way to LOSE weight – and that pesky fat around the belly.

In fact, prolonged mouth breathing and “sucking in air” over time actually REDUCES your capacity for performance, my friend.

True, it might seem your getting in more air (oxygen) – but the HOW is the key.

Watch how babies and toddlers breathe – NATURALLY – from their belly as opposed to the upper chest.

And this sort of deep breathing is what is called diaphragmatic breathing – and not only does it increase the size of your rib cage and the connective tissues – but it also improves lung capacity – and therefore your endurance and capacity for PERFORMANCE under stress.

And – most importantly – you can LOSE weight a LOT faster if you breathe the right way – I’d say up to 30-40% faster if not more than the usual “sucking down air” method.

Losing weight is something we all talk about – – but have we really thought about the process?

The HOW?

Your lungs, for one are the MAIN excretory organ in terms of weight loss – a fact that by itself would astound most that believe it’s “broken down” – or “eliminated via the bowels” – or (this is a most ludicrous concept, but it’s widely believed), “converted to muscle” – and so forth.

No. Your LUNGS are the main driving factor here – and while HOW you inhale is KEY – the exhale is really what “drops the pounds” if you get my drift.

It’s a matter of unlocking the carbon within the fat cells if I were to get technical – and the proper way to break down all the atoms, molecules etc is to breathe NORMALLY – through the nose – as opposed to the mouth.

And believe me, proper breathing isnt just something that you should be partaking of during a tough workout.

Proper breathing is something we should all pay attention to throughout the day – but don’t.

How many times have you sat up – and cleared your mind by none other than 10 slow, long, deep BREATHS – the right way?

How many times do you do this in a day – or a week – or even a month?

I’ll bet the answer is in the single digits if even that.

‘Tis a pity, because the sheer exhilaration you experience from deep breathing done RIGHT rivals and outstrips everything else.

Runner’s high – swimmer’s high – or maybe simply the high you get after a great great workout.

All great, but all trumped by what I said above, and if you want proof – well – you’ll SEE proof in the videos too!

And if you want proof that this sort of breathing is how the FAT melts off your body?

Well, that proof is there too – in the System, my friend.

In short – breathe right – make a regular practice of it both during your workouts and before and after – and you’ll see your weight loss benefits shoot through the roof shortly thereafter.

‘Tis true, my friend. Tis true, and I’ll sign off on that note for today.

In Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill outlines a 7 step plan in Chapter 2, I believe it was – steps that will not only guide you to success in chosen endeavor – but riches as well if that is your goal.

These 7 steps are not only the perfect “to do” list in order to attain riches – they can be adapted to any goal you have – fitness and LIFE included.

One key part of this “to – do list” is visualization – something I’ve talked about often in the past, and something that has worked wonders for me both in the past and in the present.

Something that will work wonders for you too if you let it – and Hill instructs the reader to visualize the amount of money the person desires daily until it becomes so much a part of you that you feel and believe you HAVE it – at which points things start to happen.

Belief, my friend, as Claude Bristol so succinctly put it is what makes things HAPPEN.

And yet – people miss another equally vital part of the equation.

In Think and Grow Rich, Hill writes,

Determine exactly what service you are going to offer in return for the money you desire. There is no such thing as something for nothing!

Sage advice indeed.

All too often, we focus on the end results – but never ever come up with a workable PLAN to attain said results – and for those that do the vast majority fall by the wayside in terms of PERSISTENCE.

And sadly, this practice of trying to get something for nothing has assumed almost Biblical proportions these days as you can tell from the number of lazy and entitled people out there.

I still remember a conversation I had with a nutter in a Walmart here a year or so ago.

The guy asked me “why you foreigners charge us to learn English”?

“Huh?”

He repeated the question, with an addendum.

“You people learn it in school, it’s natural for you! Why charge us to learn”

I was momentarily taken aback by the sheer effrontery of the question – but not for long.

“Why does Walmart charge for goods?”

“Uh..”

“If I wanted to learn Mandarin, I’d need to pay, wouldn’t I? The same thing for tai chi – yoga shmoga – or even if I were to learn an advanced martial art like Krav Maga – I’d need to pay, wouldn’t I?”

“Uh …. ”

This afternoon as I was running back down the hill at full tilt, a buffoon interrupted me.

“Hello! Where are you from?

Now, I dont know a single person in this world who wants to be disturbed with such foolishness while working out …

“We can be friends! I practice English for free with you!” this female continued.

And given the diamond seller’s example I mentioned a few days ago – and also the constant barrage of others that expect something for nothing, I figured I’d write this post.

And no, this isn’t limited to mainland China either. Folks all over the globe have become lazy and entitled – except a select few – one of them being Marc the African silverback GORILLA I’ve mentioned before (and looking at the width of his shoulders, an actual gorilla might well consider him to be part of the “pride”, hehe).

As we were engaged in a mini-sparring session the other day, he finished off by saying “You get what you put into it, Rahul. It’s like anything else!”

Sage indeed from a man whose advice I can always rely upon and a man I admire for many reasons – and something I’ve been saying all along.

Fitness wise, the reason so many people do NOT attain the goals they have is that they read books – waffle on on the Internet and with friends and “bros” about the best pumping and toning techniques – and about “how I wish I had to exercise” – and so forth – but never actually DO the thing.

For many of those that do it – they do it in a half hearted manner – and the results follow in an equally half hearted manner as well.

There truly IS no such thing as something for nothing, my friend – and the next time you’re sweating it out on a hill to ‘Eat More – Weigh Less‘, REMEMBER this – along with your goal – and remember what I just told you.

Stop trying to get “freebies” – and complain about prices etc. Look for VALUE – and QUALITY – and once you get that, LEARN – and then just DO the thing.

Remember that in life – and in FITNESS too – there is NO such thing as something for nothing.

You get what you put into it – and I’ll end on that note for now.

I’ll be back later!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

P.S. – If you’re still unsure about how to get the best results from your fitness program, and not satisfied with your current results/regimen, then its time to CHANGE THINGS UP, my friend. Stop making excuses, and hurry on over to the order page for the 0 Excuses Fitness System NOW – – https://0excusesfitness.com/0excusesfitnessystem/

It’s NO secret that when it comes to working out – and workout times – those times (as well as that topic) is about as sacrosanct to me as places of worship are for those that religious.

In fact perhaps more so.

I’ve spoken before about my dislike for folks that clamor to get “selfies” with me during tough sets of workouts straight from Eat More – Weigh Less, for instance, or clowns that shove their dumbphones in my face as I’m doing pull-ups – or anything to that effect.

And yet, this same guy was chuckling his way through a workout today – – so much so at one point that I almost fell off the chinning bar at a certain stage, so hard was I guffawing.

Why?

Well, it’s a long story – perhaps two – but here goes!

So last night I was talking to a diamond seller who was pestering me non-stop for info on “how to lose weight” and “how to stay fit”.

I ignored her initially, as I thought it was just a passing question – but it soon became apparent after she sent me a video that she was serious – about the question, at any rate .

The video showed her selling diamonds – covered in an “artfully” designed sweater which “covered all the curves” and the “junk in the trunk” – or so she thought, at any rate.

I told her to exercise.

No dice.

“I no like swimming and running!”

“Try cycling”, I ventured.

“No like!”

And I finally told her to get a copy of the System since it became apparent that anything outdoors wasn’t her cup of tea – and truth be told, I’d have told her that in the first instance if I thought she was “serious”.

She took a look at the page.

“How much in RMB?”

“Oh, it’s a trifling USD 149.99” , I answered. “Don’t worry – you can pay with your Union Pay card, and it’ll take care of the USD – RMB conversion”.

(NB – So if you’re living in a country other than the US – ears UP – YES – perfectly doable!)

She balked,and dug her heels in much like Jonah’s ass in the Bible.

“Then I won’t buy!”

“Why not?”

“Its too expensive!”

I changed the topic.

“How much does a diamond cost at your place”, I asked with a huge grin.

“Uh…”

“A better way to ask the question is this. Are diamonds – or the price thereof – more important than your health and the strength of your internal organs? I think NOT …. ”

“Uh …. yeah …. ”

Now this sort of cheapskate attitude is nothing new to me. I’ve been pestered by plenty of tyre kickers before who seem to think my books are too expensive – but when I told a buddy of mine later about it, it gave him more than a hearty chuckle.

“Iconic example, Rahul!” was what he said.

But that ain’t why I was chuckling through my workout today.

My buddy then started to talk about the way people were behaving at a nearby mall – presumably over the latest trend or some new clothes fad, and the way he described it was nigh hilarious.

He’s one of those guys that emotes very well, and gets the details RIGHT down to a T – – and his description of the shoppers was so accurate that I couldn’t help but bust out laughing.

“There’s no class whatsoever in this mess, Rahul! It’s juvenile and unsophisticated – the amount of “mindless” consumption – it’s this naive, dumbstruck, lemming like behavior going on … “

Believe me, I’m laughing out loud as I type this, and it’s been a day since he said it!

He’s right, of course – the way people act at shopping malls when it comes to deals etc is downright INSANE – especially when it comes to buying clothes etc.

Sheeple following the sheeple, in other words, or lemmings acting as they do – following other lemmings and making sure to strip the mall bare, all for the latest fashion – which certainly wouldn’t help them improve their lives in any way possible, hehe.

And without further ado, how does this relate to fitness, you ask?

Well, because this naive “lemming like” behavior is exactly why the vast majority of folks out there are LESS fit than they’ve ever been – and have health problems out the ass, not to mention growing obesity levels and everything that comes with it.

The average lemming would be doing well to do 5 pushups without collapsing, and that isn’t an exaggeration!

More to the point, the average Joe – or Jane – is NOT satisfied with either their fitness levels – or where they are in life – but when pointed the way and shown a clear route, they dig their heels in.

And they argue for hours as to why “their way is the best” – even though it clearly isn’t working.

Napoleon Hill was right when he said the human mind when confronted with a NEW way of doing things automatically finds a zillion reasons for why something won’t work – as opposed to having an open mind and actually DOING the thing.

If you tell the average lemming, for instance, that 0 Excuses Fitness is far better than anything he’s ever done before – and will give him far more meaningful results than pumping and toning and shmoozing at the gym, he’ll rant all night long about “how the gyms are better, because people pay and there are machines there”.

If you tell the average lemming that constantly complains about his life – and his job – to IMPROVE it – by doing something on his own as opposed to depending upon a paycheck – he’ll give you a zillion reasons to “defend” what he’s doing – all of them making exactly no sense (most excuses don’t!).

Believe, I woke up to exactly this sort of thing this morning as I saw a lengthy “stat” pulled by one of these “lemmings” that apparently believes that working full time for a company is the way to go achieve things in life – all the while while complaining non stop about it!

Anyway, if you’re done chuckling as yet – moral of the story – or stories?

Simple – don’t be a LEMMING, my friend.

Stop following the herd.

Stop doing things “the way others said they should be done”.

Stop making excuses, and take RESPONSIBILITY for your life.

And most of all, get on the fitness train – and do it the right way – as opposed to complaining non stop about how you’re unable to lose weight and get rid of those nagging backaches, and your insomnia, for one.

You were given a brain – and a mind.

USE it – and you’ll be nigh surprised at the results that follow, if you only give it a chance!

Well, my friend, thats that for the lemmings. I’m off to chuckle a bit more myself – and I’ll be back with more later !

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

P.S. – If you’re part of the group that is content to read this and remain a lemming in terms of not investing in the best darn fitness system EVER – well, fine by me, mi amigo. Can take a horse to water, but can’t make it drink, hehe. But if you’re one of the RAREST – a DOER – and someone looking to go places in life – as well as take your fitness levels to STRATOSPHERIC levels – well then look no further than the System – – https://0excusesfitness.com/0excusesfitnessystem/

When I first started rahulmookerjee.com (way, way back in the day) it was a pet project that was very dear to my heart indeed.

I was working a crappy full time job at the moment that I didn’t even go to half of the time so much did I hate it – – and literally every spare minute of my time was taken up with writing Fast and Furious Fitness – yes, the book that started it all for yours truly!

Along the way, I was met with NOTHING but CRITICISM – from all quarters – and was duly exhorted to “give up something that had no value”.

And guess what – I do have to admit, that at that point, the naysayers sort of got the better of me – sorta, at least. I didn’t devote near as much effort to the business at that point as I should have, and my results started to nosedive.

This is even more incredible when you consider that I started to get subscribers signing up for my newsletter literally days after creating the website – with NO marketing whatsoever!

Thoughts truly are things my friend, in that if we STRONGLY feel – and BELIEVE – then these thoughts “grow wings”, fly out into the Universe, and return pronto, bearing exactly the sort of returns we “thought about”!

The above may sound sort of esoteric, but its TRUE.

When I got back into the fitness biz full time, and started 0 Excuses Fitness, I was met with even more ridicule and scorn – and still am, for that matter.

It’s incredible, but true – but folks have a way of discarding FACTS placed in front of them – and a business that is growing at a healthy rate is still met with the usual “Oh, online businesses! Pah! That’ll never amount to anything!”

“Oh, just fitness! We all know how to stay fit!”

And again, incredibly, most of the people making the above statements are usually unfit themselves (to put it politely) – and have NEVER ever started a business of their own, either online or offline.

Opinions are like assholes, my friend. We ALL have them – the key is to NOT let them affect you in any way, shape or form – and THIS is where the VAST majority of folks aiming at something mess up.

I’ve spoken before about the “Tell the world what you’re going to do, but show ’em first” part of this – and its best in my opinion to keep your cards close to your chest at all times until you actually achieve said goals.

You’d be surprised at how often the most intense criticism and negativity comes from folks that you’d think would be close to you – and most of it is actually unintentional.

Subconsciously folks have been programmed to believe that “online” businesses aren’t real – and amazingly enough, this belief persists in this day and age, and despite the results, well …

The point of all this?

If you have an idea – and you believe it’s right – then go out there and DO IT – and PERSIST until you get the results you desire, DESPITE what others might say!

Henry Ford was met with fierce opposition to his ideas not only when he first introduced the concept of a motor car – but also WAY after his initial successes. If there is one quality that Ford has, and has in spades – it is this – PERSISTENCE.

When Jeff Bezos started Amazon out of his garage, everyone from his former boss to his wife thought it was a bad idea – and they were not shy about telling him either.

The only folks that did support him were his parents – who pretty much gave him their life savings (this despite being told that there was a 70% probability of them LOSING said savings).

They had faith in Bezos, and today, 25 years later, the man is comfortably the richest man on the planet – outstripping all of the rest by a few million and then some!

In Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill speaks about the idea of writing a book on success based on REAL LIFE experiences that was first planted into his mind by Andrew Carnegie.

In his own words, then –

The favorable break came through Carnegie – but what about the DETERMINATION, DEFINITENESS OF PURPOSE – and the DESIRE TO ATTAIN THE GOAL, and the PERSISTENT EFFORT OF TWENTY FIVE YEARS? It was no ordinary DESIRE that survived disappointment, discouragement, temporary defeat, criticism, and the constant reminding of “waste of time”.

It was a burning desire – an OBSESSION!

He goes on to state that –

Gradually the idea become a giant under its own power, and it coaxed, nurse and drove me. Ideas are like that. First you give life and action and guidance to ideas, then they take on power of their own, and sweep aside all opposition.

And so it is with FITNESS – or any goal you set in life, my friend.

Back in the day, if I had let the buffoons that constantly clamored “Rahul will never get fit” “get to me” – then I’d never have gotten into the shape I am today, and I’d likely not even be doing a lot of things that I am today business wise.

Same thing for the nitwits, tyre kickers, and nutjobs that claim “fitness businesses don’t work” – – or “that idea is too outrageous” – or those that have plenty of time to COMMENT, but no time to ever actually DO.

And its the same thing for you, my friend – and that is why I mention it today. If you’ve got a goal – then set your mind to it – and just do it – and the results WILL COME – as sure as the sun setting in the West and rising in the East.

As they say, be careful what you set your heart upon, as you surely shall obtain it!

Last, but NOT LEAST, I’ve been speaking a lot as of late about the green tea that I’ve been getting for those that are interested – the tea that I’ve touted, pimped, and PROMOTED – and RIGHTLY so – as the WONDER POTION that you simply must take on board in terms of your weight loss routines.

Green tea – jasmine tea – and all other forms of organic tea have so many benefits that it would take a tome to list them all, bu when it comes to weight loss, the bottom line is this – if you’re working out regularly, and if you want an instant BOOST – a shot in the arm – then green tea is your best bet.

And we’re talking REAL green tea here – NOT the stuff you see in the supermarkets!

I’m talking the REAL deal – imported straight from mainland China – tea as you can see here –

And here is what Imran, a long time customer of mine had to say about the tea –

“Hi Rahul! The maojian tea you got me for very good! I feel a lot better after drinking it for cold!”

‘Tis true, my friend. ‘Tis true. Green tea (and in this case JASMINE green tea) DOES have proven health benefits, and I’ll speak at length on these benefits in the future.

For now, if you’re interested – get thee “buns” over to the following URL – https://0excusesfitness.com/shop/ – and place your order – and you’ll see what Imran – and other satisfied customers – BE raving about, my friend.

Well, my friend, that is it for now. A rather lengthy dispatch, but worth every word.

Something that we commonly hear – and that I’ve often railed against in the past and continue to do so NOW – is the “I don’t have time to exercise” excuse.

Out of all the excuses that people make for not getting in a good workout – this one is probably the WORST of them all – and this one is the most irritating of them all – at least to me.

The same people that make this excuse usually have time galore to watch the boob tube … or “chat on the phone” – or perhaps watch hours and hours of mindless soap operas either on the Web or the – yes, the idiot box – or discuss politics – or any amalgamation of inane and utterly UNPRODUCTIVE activities listed above.

You always have time, my friend.

I suppose this would be a good place as any to “pimp” my patented 15-25 minute workouts – workouts that leave even the most seasoned of trainees in a pool of sweat on the floor before half of it is over -or in some cases, before the workout has even STARTED … but I’m not going to do that.

Instead, I’ll tell you a bit of a story.

I did a bit of a quick jaunt over to Hong Kong yesterday. For those of you on this list, you remember me telling you about my visits there, I’m sure. It’s about a half day trip all in all if you do things right – about 1.5 hours drive and back – and with immigration, crowds etc, can take a bit of time.

Up until last year and indeed last month, I’d get in a solid workout BEFORE leaving.

But yesterday, I figured I’d do something different. I figured I’d put my “you always have time” theory to the ultimate test – and I did.

I took care of “business” in the morning. Emails. Factory communications. Checking sales on the site. Et al.

Had lunch. Then it was time for the Kong.

And here is what I did.

Instead of taking a taxi to the subway station (about 30 minutes BRISK walk from my place), I just walked – and did so with purpose – briskly.

I was sweating a fair bit upon arrival, and I didn’t grab the nearest bench to collapse.

Instead, I stocked up on 5 liters of water – chucked said item into the backpack – and paced the floor until the train arrived.

When it was time to change from the subway to the main train – and buy tickets etc – I did NOT use the escalator.

I climbed three flights of stairs to “ground level” – and then another steep flight to the ticketing counter – and then another two or so to the “inter city” trains – all the time with backpack in tow.

Did get a curious glance or two from the onlookers “stationed” on the escalators, but hey, I’m used to that!

Once in the Kong, I had to use the subway again to get to where I needed to – and you know what that means, of course.

Stairs,stairs, and more stairs – and for those that rant about TIME, or the lack of it?

Let me tell you, a quick run up a flight – or three – of stairs is FAR FAR quicker than just standing on the escalator which goes at it’s own pace (especially when said escalator is crowded!).

I cannot tell you how many times I bounded up them stairs yesterday and folks that got on the escalator BEFORE me were still on it when I was at the top of that flight of stairs.

This sort of a workout not only boosts your entire immune system from all the huffing and puffing – but also burns FAT like crazy, my friend – and all it requires is one thing – that is for you not to be LAZY!

On the way back from the Kong – it was the same thing, except in reverse.

And as I collapsed in bed last night after a good dinner, I had the feeling of a job well done – or as Brooks Kubik said all those years ago in the “infamous” “Rahul’s hill walking workout from China” email –

At the end of it all, he sits down to a good dinner. And he should. He’s earned it!

So there you have it, my friend. A prime example of how you can integrate exercise into your daily routine.

As I was finishing up a workout today, soaked in sweat – the friendly security guy that climbs the hill on an almost daily basis made a comment that he makes on an almost daily basis.

“Shang bi hao!”, he commented – pointing at my shoulders.

Roughly translated into English, this means “upper arms good” – and he makes this comment on a nigh daily basis.

As I clambered down the hill for my final jaunt back UP – I saw the old man that I’ve referred to so often make his way up the hill – gamely as ever, clad in a vest and shorts – and climbing BAREFOOT of all things!

I’ve often mentioned the cast iron grip this old man – not to mention the rugged shoulder development he has – and ’twas but natural for me to go over and make the same comment to him.

“Shang bi Zhuang!” I commented (strong upper arms!)

And while I’ve already mentioned the secret behind this old man’s iron shoulders– today’s post isn’t about that.

It’s about thick – ruggedly strong HANDS – and correspondingly, a grip of STEEL – which virtually every grip maniac, gym goer or even regular men and women want, but few HAVE.

Why?

Well, as I was finishing up my pull-up – I saw a worker near me – an old lady of perhaps around 50 or so with a solid rake.

She was raking up the mud (its been raining here for the past few days) – and other than her posture, which builds immense strength throughout the entire core – her HANDS stood out.

In fact it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say her hands were STRONG – THICK, STRONG fingers that could probably outgrip most of the bros at the gym that shrug with straps and claim to hoist heavy poundages … again, with straps and belts, etc!

Folks – you don’t NEGLECT a weak area – you STRENGTHEN it!

Common training lore has it that you can lift more with straps.

Perhaps, but you’re neglecting your grip – and the tendons of your hands – and wrist – and forearm – and you’re only as strong as your weakest link, my friend.

Now I’ve spoken about how the ladies that delivered my water in China have much the same look to their forearms – and their HANDS.

Try lugging up 20 liter bottles in your hands – holding the bottles by their “snout” all day long for a living. It ain’t easy.

If there’s one thing wrestlers, boxers, REAL strongmen (hint – most today are NOT really strong) – “ironmen” – pull-up fanatics – and even the tiny Chinese masseuses I’ve written about in the past have in common, it’s a strong grip – and fingers that look – and feel – like IRON CLAWS, my friend.

And they all have another thing in common.

They work with THICK bars – or thick handles implements – and they do in a manner that doesn’t resemble anything you do in the gym.

Believe me, when you have a hoe with a long, long handle, and a diameter of about 4 inches or more – you’ll FEEL it in your arms when you work with it – not tom ention do timed holds, levers etc with it.

That’s one the tips in Gorilla Grip – and a highly effective grip builder. I put it at the end of the book for a reason – its a toughie and you’d be best advised to work up to it!

Want more examples?

Well, I’ve spoken about the 6’1″ man mountain I met in China – an ex Marine, and a strong man if there ever was one – and he’s got hands like an ironmonger as well – and how did he get ’em?

Carrying heavy equipment. Handling THICK bars – and weapons his entire life. Doing pull-ups – on THICK bars! And wrestling in high school.

And so forth …

Moral of the story is this – if you want a thick, ruggedly strong grip- and fingers like iron claws – and forearms pulsating like Popeye’s might, well – then – you simply HAVE NO OTHER OPTION than to include thick bar work into your routine – and bodyweight work as well!

And if you HAVE to workout with weights – try heavy water bottles – or beer kegs – or sandbags – or something unwieldy that you gotta STRUGGLE to even HOLD.

Believe me, it’ll build a heck of a grip – one you won’t get in the gym – and certainly NOT by using straps!

Last, but not least, none of this means you cannot have “well maintained” hands.

Nothing of that nature. My own hands are fairly well maintained, but there is no disguising the calluses (“rocks” as my little girl terms them as!!) – and yes, they’ve split open multiple times while training – and that still happens occasionally.

All part of the game, my friend.

All part of the game if you want to truly get RUGGEDLY strong – and thats the note I’ll end on today!

If you workout today – make it a great one – and include some grip work in there as well!

Today I’ll talk about something that plenty of people have already spoken about – but I’ll tackle it from an angle that hasn’t been widely discussed before – not that I can tell, at any rate!

It’s raining cats and dogs here in Southern China here, and due to one of those odd “amalgamations of circumstances”, I haven’t been able “refuel” my system for over 15 hours as of the time of writing this

My last meal was at around 10 P.M. or so last night (which alone is a mind bender for most people given all the literature out there about “eating late makes you fat”) – and it’s about 3:25 P.M. here at the time of writing this.

So it’s perhaps 15 hours – maybe a bit more – and I felt compelled to touch upon this very topic today – so here goes!

Fasting is something most people know about, of course – but not everyone does it.

Some just can’t stick to any sort of fast. Others have been “programmed” to believe that eating less causes your metabolism to slow down – and therefore fasting must make it slow down even more, right?

And of course, we’ve got all the studies about how “eating 8 small meals a day” ramps your metabolism up – yada, nada, schnada, and keeps you “feeling sated” – and yet – a cursory examination of most who follow this sort of a regimen reveals the exact opposite.

And before you jump at me for “disregarding medical advice” – or something to that nature – consider the following.

Animal in the world go DAYS without food at times – sometimes water as well – but especially food.

Mr. Tiger doesn’t exactly hunt daily – and not all his hunts are successful as well.

When he DOES make a kill though – what does he do?

He sits down – has his fill – and then some – and then SLEEPS – for a good few hours before waking up to “do the rounds” again, which usually involves returning to the prey at some point and feast a bit more.

Wild tigers show no sign of lethargy – or weakness – or less flexibility – or anything of that nature we’ve been programmed to believe that fasts cause – and now, let’s look at a tiger in “el zoo”.

I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a tiger – or panther – or jaguar – or any big cat in a zoo, but it looks like a sorry imitation of it’s wild cousins– and this WITH three regular meals a day.

The worst I’ve ever seen was a jaguar in the New Delhi Zoo – bloated, stuffed, and clearly without the space it needs to exercise it’s considerable bulk – and build strength etc – and most of all, the LAZY look in it’s eye that you NEVER ever see with a cat in the wild.

Our ancestors never ate daily either.

Mr. Caveman, for instance would often go days without food – you know, them days without Micky D’s and smartphone apps … And yet, I don’t think I’d pit even the most fearsoms of UFC fighters, for instance, in a cage match with our ancestors of yore!

One, I worked out on an empty stomach – long and intense workouts – REAL intense.

Two, my first meal of the day was often at 6 P.M. – or later – and my last one was usually around midnight.

Sounds like sacrilege, and yet, I can tell you this – some of my best productivity and fitness gains came from following exactly THIS sort of a routine – and I’d often go in for a bridging workout before dinner as well!

If you look at athletes in tremendous shape, Herschel Walker is a guy that jumps to mind instantly.

3000 pushups and 1000 pull-ups daily and that is just for starters. BEAST, no??

And he built that incredible bod of his – yes – one meal a day – a SIMPLE meal – eaten – yes – at around 530 or 6!!

As for “if I still follow this regimen”?

Well – no – but when I’m forced to – such as today – I feel no ill effects whatsoever. In fact I feel even more energetic than ever, and if the darn rain would just stop, I would go run up a mountain or something – and then some!

So – – that is a long answer to a short enough question.

Ponder – “assimilate” – and let me know what you think!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

P.S. – And neither is eating more occasionally bad for you, my friend. In fact, those fasts are often followed by “pigging out” – but guess what – with the right workouts – you won’t gain a lick of fat from all them pizzas, soft drinks and late night snackolas, my friend. Learn more right here – –https://0excusesfitness.com/eatmore-weighless/

One of the most important and indeed most telling reasons a lot of folks are unable to or don’t get to their fitness goals – or life goals – or goals in general isn’t just that they don’t “just do the thing”.

While Emerson correctly stated that “Do the thing, and you shall have the power” – there is more to it behind that.

It isn’t so much WHAT you do – as HOW you do it – and the BELIEF – and FAITH behind the actual doing!

I don’t know if you’ve read “The Science of Getting Rich” by Wallace D. Wattles. It’s an excellent read, and it matters NOT if you’re interested in getting rich or not – the points covered in there hold true for achieving any goal you have – and one of the things, and indeed the MAIN thing he emphasizes throughout the course is it’s about doing things – a certain WAY– as opposed to doing “certain” things.

There is a difference, my friend!

Unless your actions are backed up by positive thoughts and BELIEF – and FAITH in that belief, then you’ll likely not achieve whatever goal you are looking to achieve – at least not in the way you would like – if at all.

Napoleon Hill, the greatest (in my own opinion) self help author penned an entire chapter on Faith in “Think and Grow Rich“, and what he has to say is as applicable to fitness as it is getting rich.

“Faith is the starting point of all riches”, he says, and goes on to explain that OPEN MINDEDNESS is imperative for the state of mind known as belief to be omnipresent in one.

This morning I was speaking to a lady who claimed that certain “different” proclivities in the bedroom (if you get my drift, hehe, I’m keeping this PG rates) – was “weird”.

Not anything to jump up and down about, of course, but the CLOSED MIND behind the comment was on display for all …

You hear the same thing in terms of those who rail against same sex marriage, for instance – and when asked for LOGICAL answers as to why acts of “passion” or “love” between consenting adults should be outlawed, you get nothing but vague responses.

“It’s not normal”, they chime.

Well, what IS normal, I ask – a question that when “probed” stymies even the most closed mind of them all.

In terms of fitness, the very idea that you can get fit – super fit – without weights and machines – and gym memberships – and treadmills – and long slow distance cardio is sacrilege to most.

Its not surprising of course – most of us, if not all of us have been brought up to believe that the above are the only ways to get – and stay fit – and any other way doesn’t work.

As Claude Bristol says in the Magic of Believing …

Repetition of the same chant, the same affirmations, the same incantations, leads to belief, and once that belief becomes a deep seated conviction things begin to happen.

He goes on to state that belief can be used for GOOD as well as BAD purposes – and what I’m saying about fitness above is one of the pointless purposes that serve no-one except the businesses that own the gym.

‘Tis a fact, Jack, but most gym goers are unhappy with the way they look – a fact that you cannot say is true for dedicated bodyweight practitioners in general.

Not only that – most gym memberships lie unused for the most part – gathering dust – resources that would have been better off used in other regards (for the most part, anyway).

But again, it all comes down to changing that erroneous BELIEF.

And an OPEN MIND is imperative here!

Without an open mind, nothing in your life will really change, my friend – fitness results included.

When I was 120 kgs, and obese (to put it lightly), NO-ONE – I repeat, NO-ONE, including my most ardent well wishers would have punted on the fact I’d get myself down to 60 kgs shortly thereafter.

I did though – – and despite what I actually did in terms of working out – the belief behind what I did was what caused this “miracle” to manifest, my friend.

As Dr Maxwell Maltz clearly states in Psycho Cybernetics, it matters not how many folks you have chanting your name in the bleachers – if YOU yourself aren’t present.

Conversely, it matters NOT if NO-ONE except you is backing you.

‘Tis true – – YOU, my friend have to have that belief and BACK YOURSELF to achieve the seemingly impossible – and that just wont happen without an open mind – in any regard!

So if there is one takeaway from today’s post – it is this – keep “thy” mind open, my friend.

Keep an open mind – back yourself – and go out there and just do it.

Watch the results roll down the PIKE!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

P.S. – Repetition is the only real way of developing belief in any regard, and my weight loss journey was no different. And I’ve mentioned an example – or two, or more, I believe of this in the System – and in the 10 Commandments of Training Success – – here is where you can read all about it – – https://0excusesfitness.com/0excusesfitnessystem/

In some of my writings and musings (non fitness related), I often refer to “the look in the eye”.

While these writings are all non fitness related, fitness wise,I’ve written about the look in the eye before – the Eye of the Tigeras well, if you get my drift!

It’s the initial impression you get when you see someone that is lean, MEAN – hungry – and a bonafide “boot to ass” butt kicking MACHINE, my friend.

And it’s also about the impression that a “man that is defeated inside” gives of internally.

In Rocky III, as Rocky faces off against his opponent, “Clubber Lang”, Lang takes one look at him before “trading gloves” and goes “Dead Meat!”

Rocky at that time (in the movie) just didn’t have that eye of the tiger – and he lost – and the same holds true for life as well.

In addition to the look in the eye, the NOD of APPROVAL – albeit often times silent and tacit is worth a mention or two.

Flashback to the Rocky series again (yes, I do talk a lot about that series, don’t I?!) – Rocky IV to be specific.

That movie is all about Rocky’s friend Apollo Creed taking a brutal beating at the hands of “Ivan Drago” – the 6’5″ behemoth who Rocky ultimately squares off against while seeking “revenge”.

Unlike the previous franchises, this movie makes it very clear that Rocky is “on his own” out there while training in the vast Russian Tundra.

While his trainer is “there” – there is little he actually does, and he says as much.

“I know you’ve got to do almost everything alone up here!”

And as Rocky pounds out pull-ups, with about a year’s worth of growth (not really, hehe) – – and as the sweat literally pours off him as he does pull-ups first to the front of the neck and then the back – the trainer nods – approvingly.

As I was out there today completing a “reverse” workout from Eat More – Weigh Less, a man passing by me looked at me, and smiled – and as he looked at my calves, straining to complete each “excruciating” (again, not really, hehe) step – – the nod came out.

That silent nod of approval. That nod that says “hmm, this guy has GOT it!”

And these are the sort of workouts you too should be partaking off, my friend. More pertinently THESE are the sort of workouts that get you results.

THESE are the workouts that really get you the six pack you’ve always wanted – and shoulders like the proverbial boulders for instance.

The “X” taper. The “corrugated core” – and so forth – and THAT IS WHY they also garner the silent, unspoken NOD of APPROVAL!

And again – THESE – my friend are the workouts you should be partaking of – on a nigh regular basis at that – if you want results – REAL results – and want ’em quick at that!

So drop the gym memberships now, my friend. Drop the fancy treadmills replete with a holder for a mugga and your dumb phone – the treadmill to nowhere, in other words.

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